Piracetam: Review of the Benefits, Research, Dosage, and Side Effects

What is Piracetam: Sold with brand names Nootropil, Memotopril, and Nootropyl, Piracetam was the first ever created nootropic compound. It can be obtained without prescription in US, but many European countries require one to be able to purchase it.

Piracetam was first synthesized in 1964 by a Romanian chemist, Corneliu E. Giurgea, who worked in a Belgian company by the name of UCB phrama to create medication that would enhance cognitive abilities without having sedative or stimulative effects.

Due to Piracetam’s anti-thrombotic and vasodilator effects, it is often also prescribed for use before and after strokes to prevent future strokes and minimize the brain damage caused by ischemic-strokes.

Piracetam works by increasing the sensitivity and density of AMPA and NDMA-receptors as well as increasing the uptake of acetylcholine at its receptor sites.

Piracetam Benefits and Research

Piracetam is one of the most researched nootropic compounds in the world.

In a study of 16 healthy-men, 1200mg’s of daily Piracetam was associated with significantly better performances in a backwards word-recall test when compared to placebo, suggesting that it enhances short-term memory.

Piracetam is well-researched and proven to elicit a whole host of cognitive benefits in humans.

Piracetam Dosage and How to Take

The standard Piracetam dosage is 1200-4800mg per day. This is also the dose range that has been proven to work in clinical studies.

Since Piracetam has a plasma half-life of about 5 hours, it’s recommended to take it 2-3 times a day, depending on what you’re looking to achieve with the ingestion (for someone using it to boost cognitive performance at work or studying, obviously take it before such tasks).

One interesting thing is that some in their book “Smart Drugs and Nutrients“, two neuroscientists recommend taking a “Piracetam attack dose” (a higher dosage taken first time to amplify the effects). This makes some sense as most racetams have a cumulative effect and it can take some time before the neurons are saturated with the compound.

This so called attack dosage ranges from 2x to 5x of the standard recommended amount and the idea is just to purposefully over-stimulate the neurons for increased synaptic receptor sensitivity.

Piracetam is water-soluble, so it can be taken on an empty stomach without food. However, eating does not hamper its absorption.

Since Piracetam also increases the usage of acetylcholine, it also depletes the brain from its main building block; choline. Because of this, one should always co-supplement with a source of choline when using any racetam or smart drug. This enhances the benefits and reduces the possibility of headache-related side effects.

Would I recommend this type of attack dosage for first time users? For the majority of smart drugs, no. Piracetam however, has a very low side effect risk so it might be worth a try on this particular nootropic. Just remember to also use choline and drink plenty of water.

Piracetam Side Effects and Tolerance

Piracetam is considered one of the safest nootropics, and thus often recommended for beginners as their first smart drug to try.

Anecdotally, some users report feelings of “brain fog” after consumption of racetam class nootropics. This is often explained to be caused by insufficient choline intake and not drinking enough water with the nootropics.

There appears to be no tolerance build up for Piracetam, at least according to anecdotes and scientific studies that use the compound daily for 6-12 months. It’s also considered to be a non-addictive substance.

Piracetam is regarded as one of the safest smart drugs, with no known toxicity, tolerance build up, or serious side effects. Just always remember to use choline and drink plenty of water while using nootropics.